This should be either a required or recommended reading for hospitality and business development courses in Universities, as it sheds a different perspective on what should be important to define and achieve success.

Each of us feels we walk our own path and face our own individual struggles in life, and it is startling at times to realize how much we as people have in common regardless of our place of birth, our religion and our livelihood.

This 236 page book by Dr. Bharat Shah covers approximately 50 years in his journey and is an excellent example of the many life challenges we all face, whether the same or similar.

In these days of information overload, it is a pleasure to find a book that seeks to share calm, insights and a moment for reflection.

For those looking for a gift of inspiration in both words and photographs of nature ‘s flowers, “A Father’s Word to His Children” should be near the top for serious consideration. Filled with short, thought provoking insights and beautiful photography, this book can be for personal meditation or a thoughtful gift for any occasion (birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, weddings or just because).

Legacy

This is a short six letter word, but its definition has meaning to many of us. We all hope and want to make a difference in the lives of those we interact with. We work to positively impact others in our time.

Jack Vaughn (1937-2014) certainly left his mark and a legacy in truly dramatic ways. One of the best tributes that could be offered about Jack would be to recognize the fact that he built his reputation and influenced others in ways that were seldom self serving.

Jack was a private person and that was evident by his quietly blending into the background in the 15 years since he left Opryland.

A personal friend and professional associate, David Brudney of California, wrote a wonderful recollection of the personal side of Jack[2] that he knew in their Westin days. I enjoyed learning some things I did not know about his background prior to the 18 years Jack and I overlapped in Tennessee.

A primary observation for me was that Jack was an exceptional hotelier and caring individual. He inspired an army of other professionals through his commitment to continuous learning and certification.

I first wrote on this topic for the Birmingham Alabama, BUSINESS FIRST weekly business newspaper. I recently found an old comic strip story, in Sally Forth, where the 11-year-old daughter is asking her working mother for help in completing a school assignment. The question is on careers and the mother is asked if her job is “fun.” The mother responds that “fun” is not quite the right word for it. “Are you sure that is what it says?” she asks. The daughter spells F-U-N and the mother continues, “If work were fun, people would say ‘I’m going to fun’, rather than ‘I’m going to work.’ ” The daughter answers she is confused; the mother puts everything into perspective by telling the daughter to “just put down that I usually like my job.”

Paul SohnThe more books I read on leadership, the more it seems leadership is glorified, elevated, and spotlighted at the expense of discounting management as something inferior or unhealthy. Well, I believe leadership and management is two sides of the same coin. Both are indispensable for organizational success. I hope the following theories and different angles from leading voices on leadership and management will accelerate your learning as Kingdom-minded influencers.

When generalizing about any population segment, especially such large and diverse segments as male and female leaders, there is bound to be a degree of inaccuracy and stereotyping. Still, research finds that predominantly communal qualities, such as being nice or compassionate, are more associated with women; and predominantly agentic qualities, such as being assertive or competitive, are more associated with men.